A Haunting Melody Chapter 1

I watched the boy, Akira, as he walked away from me. I wasn't sure what to think or feel at this point. For the first time since I had died someone could see me. I sat down under the blossom filled trees and wondered what this could mean. The sun sank lower and the sky began to change colors as I tried to imagine some possible explanation for being seen. For all I thought about I had no idea what, if anything, it meant. I had nobody to ask either. I had been alone since my death and didn't even no if there were others like me. I didn't even really know what I was for certain. I might be a ghost but if that was the case why didn't I stay trapped in the living world. Wouldn't I be stuck here watching as life went on around me or tied to the place where I had died? I don't think I could be an angel since I didn't have wings. If I was wouldn't I see other angels too? I only know that I was. Eternally trapped in this other state of being. I debated on whether to stay in the living world or go back to my own little corner of the universe. The place where I spent my time in nothingness and a vague light. I guess it isn't really that hard to decide when you think about it. I'll stay in the living world as long as I am able before ending up back in the void. I never know how long my stay here would last. Some trips here only lasted a few hours and others could be more than a week.
The sky was dark now and I had grown bored. I was hoping to see Akira again but he must take another route home from his lessons. I wondered away from the little park and into the surrounding neighborhood. I could see families sitting down to eat the evening meal through windows. One of the worst things about being dead I had discovered was the loss of senses. I could see and hear but I truly missed taste and smell. The hardest loss was the sense of touch. I didn't mind not being touched since nobody, except for Akira now, had seen me. I missed the sun warming me more than anything I could think of. Not that I ever got cold to begin with, that would have at least been something. Another thing I had learned was that I didn't have any physical demands on my body. I was never tired or hungry or anything like that. I just existed. The rest of the night and into the next day I just wondered the streets exploring the area. There wasn't much to it other than homes and the occasion store. In the afternoon I went back to the park hoping to see Akira. He never came that day or the next. I wondered if I would see him again before I leave the living world. The third day I waited once more in the park under the trees holding onto the last bit of hope. I was about to give up when I saw him come around a corner. I jumped up and ran towards him calling his name.
"Hey, Momoko," he said as I come to a stop in front of him.
"I missed you," I admited, smiling.
"Uh..."
"Nobody else talks to me."
"What about your family? Don't they talk to you?"
"I don't have a family anymore. I don't have any friends either. Will you be my friend, Akira?"
"What happened to your family?"
"They died a long time ago."
"Who do you live with?"
"Nobody. It's just me."
"You have to live with somebody. You're too young to live by yourself."
"Nope. So how about it? Will you be my friend or not?"
"I guess."
"Yay!"
We talked in the park until the sun started to going down. When Akira noticed the time he grabbed his bag off the ground and got up to leave. He told me that he had to go home for the night and he would see me tomorrow. We agreed to meet after he got out of school here in the park. The next day was pretty much the same. We sat under the trees talking until he had to go home. He told me as he was leaving that he wouldn't be able to visit me the next day. He had piano practice again but he would see me on his way there. I wondered if he would let me walk with him on his way and maybe even listen while he practiced. When I asked him about it he said I could walk with him but that was it. He didn't even like playing the piano but his mother was making him. He also had a recital coming soon so his lesson would be longer than usual. He sounded sad about that and I wanted to cheer him up. I just wasn't sure what to say.
When his sensei greeted him, Akira was surprised that she didn't even acknowledge Momoko. She escorted him inside and closed the door signaling the beginning of the lesson. Akira sat at the piano and went through the scales before praticing the song for the recital. The whole time he was wishing that he could be any other place. His friends from school would be playing soccer or maybe video games. Talking with Momoko, who was a little strange, was a much better way to spend the afternoon than this torture. He was definately going to beg his mother to let him quit after the stupid recital. Again. After what felt like an eternity Sensei told him that he had played wonderfully and he was done for the day. He thanked her and hurried to grab his school bag on the way out. Momoko was sitting on the bottom step of the porch waiting for him. He didn't know whether he was annoyed that she had stayed or glad that they would have a chance to talk. "I thought I said not to stay while I practiced, Momoko," he said as he started walking home.
"I wanted to though. It's not like I had anything else to do and I like listening to music. Was that really you the whole time?"
"Yeah."
"You're really good, Akira. I haven't heard anything that nice in a long time."
"Can we talk about something else? I don't even like playing piano."
"That's too bad. I wish I could have learned how to play like you. It's makes me feel happy."
"You are the weirdest person I know. You could always learn to play if you wanted. I don't know how much my mom pays but it can't be all that much. Why don't you talk to whoever you live with about it when you get home tonight?"
"Baka. I told you I don't live with anyone already."
"Momoko, you aren't old enough to live alone. There has to be somebody."
"Nope. It's just me."
Akira stopped walking and turned to look at Momoko in disbelief. Did she live on the streets or something? He found that hard to imagine but knew it happened sometimes. He hoped that wasn't the case but was afraid to ask her. He shook his head and started to turn back to walking when he noticed something about Momoko. While it was getting dark around them it seemed like there was a light shining around her.